NCJ Number
71002
Journal
International Journal of Comparative and Applied Criminal Justice Volume: 3 Issue: 2 Dated: (Fall 1979) Pages: 221-241
Date Published
1979
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This paper characterizes the difference between status and delinquent offenders by comparing members of both groups from the State of South Carolina who were provided assistance at youth bureaus in the State.
Abstract
The offenders came into the system from January 1, 1976, through December 31, 1977, and were referred by police, family courts, school authorities, and parents. Some of the youth were adjudicated while others were diverted into the youth bureau program. Data collected on each youthful offender included race, sex, age, marital status of natural or adoptive parents, customary household, and referral source. The study covered 4,210 status offenders and 1,490 delinquent offenders, for a total of 5,700 offenders. Two types of comparisons were made. The first compared the two types of offenders based on aggregate statistics, while the second analyzed the distributional characteristics of an attribute and two groups of offenders. The first type of comparison resulted in very similar offender profiles. The typical status offender was a white male, 15 years old, did not come from an intact family, did not reside in a nuclear or reconstructed environment, came from a small or medium-sized city, and was referred to the youth bureau by the court, the school, or parents. The typical delinquent offender was a white male, 16 years old. He also did not come from an intact family, did not reside in a nuclear or reconstructed setting, came from a small or a medium-sized city, and was referred to the youth bureau by order of the court. However, when the comparison of the distributions was conducted, the similarities disappeared. Almost every demographic variable, with the exception of ethnicity, showed a difference between status and delinquent offenders. For instance, status offenders were more likely to come from the suburbs and delinquents from the cities. The analysis also indicated a large step in number of status offenses taking place around the age of 14; this held true for females, males, blacks, and whites. More vigilance or services prior to the 14th year isrecommended to reduce the incidence of status offenses. Tables and references are included.